Can't Take the Heat
by pictureswithboxes
Summary: She has a broken arm, a house full of stupid boys, and no air conditioning on the hottest day of the year. Aubrey Posen is not amused.


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

**A/N: Also, this was inspired by one line from Malcolm in the Middle...**

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Aubrey Posen was bored out of her mind, it was the summer after her sophomore year of college and she was spending it with her father and four of her brothers in the Posen home. It was hot and miserable in South Carolina, but Aubrey's father didn't believe in air conditioning. Aubrey looked down at the cast on her arm. Of course she would break her after she and Brad had gotten into an argument, resulting in her falling out of a moving car on the first day that summer started, and of course her girlfriend was in Miami with her own family. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she watched two of her brothers, Brad and Josh, running into the shed in their backyard.

"Dammit." Aubrey sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her good hand as she walked over to her father's study. "Dad?" She called, knocking on the door.

"Yes, Aubrey?" The Colonel lifted his head from the newspaper that he was reading.

"I saw Josh and Brad going into the shed." Aubrey said, entering the study fully. "I don't know what they were doing, but I'm willing to help you in the punishment phase."

"Aubrey," The man rolled his eyes, looking back at the paper. "Just because you're bored, doesn't mean that I'm going to start a fight with the boys. Call me if there's a fire or if your arm starts bothering you."

"Sorry, sir." Aubrey groaned, leaving the room, only to stop when she hear her father shout through the door.

"Why don't you call Chloe? Does she know that you broke your arm?"

"Of course she knows, sir."

Aubrey's frown deepened, she hadn't spoken to Chloe in over a week. The redhead had been forced to spend two weeks with her grandparents, they had no cell service, no internet, even the landlines were terrible. Aubrey sat down on the sofa, falling backward. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back and tried to nap. This came with no avail, the noises that her brothers were making in the shed kept her awake. Aubrey furrowed her brow when she heard a buzz saw. What on earth were they doing?

"Hey, squirt." Michael, the third oldest, greeted as he and his twin, Jacob, entered the living room. "How's the arm?"

"Broken." Aubrey grumbled, lifting her cast up. "It's broken and Josh and Brad are being idiots and I can't hear myself think."

"So, you're having a _bad_ day, then?" Jacob laughed, sitting on the chair opposite of his sister.

"Shut up." Aubrey replied tersely.

"How long has your thing been broken?" Michael asked, poking Aubrey's bright orange cast.

"Four weeks."

"That's a month."

"Thank you, I really never made it through kindergarten."

"You're mean." Jacob teased, looking out the window. "What're they doing?"

"If I knew," Aubrey sighed, closing her eyes. "I'd be stopping them. But I don't, so I won't."

"Someone's testy." Michael grinned, standing up and walking out the door, Jacob right on his heels.

"You look tired," Jacob said, before leaving the room. "Take a nap, or a shower... Or both, maybe it'll calm your crazed psycho ass."

"I hate you." Aubrey called as Jacob closed the door.

Aubrey leaned back, closing her eyes as she tried again to take a nap. It was far too hot to actually move, in fact, moving would probably cause her to combust. The blonde groaned, wishing that she could teleport to the bathroom so she could take a shower, or better yet, she wished that she could teleport to wherever Chloe was, so they could shower together. Aubrey rolled off the sofa, before slowly making her way up the stairs. She entered the bathroom, only to sit down on the pristine tiled floor, then flopped to the side, her face also resting on the tile. At least she was cooling down. Aubrey sighed contendedly and closed her eyes, feeling herself drift off.

A few hours later, Aubrey awoke in the air. No, not the air, Josh was carrying her, like a child. Aubrey looked up at her brother, their matching eyes meeting for a split second. Josh smiled crookedly, before opening his sister's bedroom door and setting Aubrey onto her bed. Aubrey groaned, her room was even warmer than than the living room.

"So, why were you in the bathroom?" He asked, sitting in Aubrey's desk chair.

"I was going to shower, but then I melted." Aubrey replied with a frown.

"Well, you have a phone call." Josh shrugged, gesturing to the phone. "I told her that you'd call back."

"Who?"

"Your redheaded demon."

"Chloe's not a demon." Aubrey snapped, grabbing the phone. "When did she-"

"About an hour ago." Josh shrugged, watching as his sister dialled the phone eagerly.

"Thank you." She mumbled, holding the phone to her ear as Josh left the room.

_"Hello?"_ Chloe's voice greeted after a few rings. _"Bree?"_

"Hey, Chlo." Aubrey smiled, falling backward. "I missed you."

_"Don't get all sappy and cliche now, Posen." _ Chloe teased on the other line, making Aubrey's smile widen. _"How's your arm?"_

"It feels fine, I'm still on the meds and everything."

_"Good. So, is Casa de Posen as bad as you thought it would be?"_

"It's one hundred and three degrees outside and my dad doesn't believe in a.c."

_"Ew..."_

"Yeah, how is it at-"

_"We just got back to my house."_

"So, I can talk to you every day?"

_"Yeah," _Aubrey heard rustling on the other end of the line.

"Chlo, what's going on?" She asked, sitting up.

_"Nothing, Bree." _Chloe replied all too quickly, only making Aubrey more suspicious.

"Are you sure?" Aubrey's brow furrowed.

_"Hold on, someone wants to say hi." _Chloe giggled, Aubrey's frown deepened.

"It's not Jaime, is it?" She sighed, Chloe's younger brother had a not so little crush on his sister's girlfriend.

_"Hey, Squirt." _It was Brad.

"Brad, what the hell?" Aubrey asked, swinging her legs over the side of her bed.

_"Come down stairs, Sleeping Beauty." _Was all Brad said, hanging up.

Aubrey's eyes widened as she suddenly realized what was happening, damn pain medication. The blonde hopped off her bed and ran out of her room and down the stairs. There on te sofa, between Josh and Michael, sat the redhead who had stolen her heart. Chloe grinned at Aubrey, before standing up and walking over to the blonde, gripping the back of her neck and pulling Aubrey down into a chaste kiss. The taller woman pulled back, looking into Chloe's eyes as a large smile consumed her features.

"I thought you were visiting next week." Was all she could manage, looking over at her brothers. "Did you-"

"Your dad called and said that I should come early." Chloe replied, pecking Aubrey's lips. "Apparently you're depressed."

"I almost sawed the cast off my arm." Aubrey said, looking sheepish. "Did he call you three days ago?"

"Yeah."

"That explains it."

"Dinner's in ten." Jacob announced, exiting the kitchen. "Hey, Chloe."

"Hi, Jake." Chloe waved slightly, before leaning closer to Aubrey. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine..." Aubrey glanced around at her brothers, who all wore smirks on their faces. "I just... You surprised me!"

"That's the point, dummy." Chloe laughed, flicking Aubrey's nose. "I love you."

"I love you, too."


End file.
